United Progressive Party (UPP) political leader Jamale Pringle has pledged that a UPP government would significantly ease voting access for Antiguans and Barbudans living abroad, including slashing the residency period required to qualify for voter registration.
According to Antigua News Room, Pringle made the announcement while addressing supporters at a rally, arguing that the current system effectively shuts out many diaspora members from participating in the democratic process.
"We recognize that only a few persons will be able to come home for four weeks plus in order to qualify for voter registration," Pringle said, referring to the existing requirement that individuals remain in the country for more than four weeks before becoming eligible to register.
Under his proposal, a UPP administration would reduce that threshold to 14 days, enabling overseas nationals to return home, register, and cast their votes within a considerably shorter window. Pringle indicated the change would be implemented early in the party's term if elected.
"So your next UPP government will reduce that period to 14 days so that our people in the diaspora can be a registered voter in Antigua and Barbuda," he told the crowd.
Pringle framed the proposal as a matter of basic fairness, drawing a pointed comparison to the country's citizenship by investment programme. "If they can give citizenship by investment five days, we can give our people in the diaspora less for them to be able to vote in Antigua and Barbuda," he said.
The UPP leader also used the opportunity to condemn what he described as systemic discrimination against nationals living overseas, pledging that his party would put an end to it.
"There will be no discrimination, no more punishment of our own people who continue to love their country and support our economy," Pringle told supporters.
